Central and peripheral nerve injury results in immediate inflammation and scar tissue formation that obstructs natural and surgical healing. To regenerate a severed neural connection, an ideal scaffold would serve as a bridge to guide neural cell navigation to traverse the injury site. Available, clinically approved conduits for nerve guidance, also referred to as “nerve guides”, may be limited by inadequate waste exchange and inadequate diffusion of nutrients and oxygen, compression of the regenerating nerve, and a lack sufficient extracellular matrix (ECM) to guide neurons. A crucial step in natural nerve development in both the peripheral and central nervous systems involves formation of an ECM bridge to guide glial cells that support migrating neural cells; ECM is particularly effective for guidance of nerve development because it provides biochemical cues, including neurotrophic factors, and structural information, in the form of highly aligned ECM fibrils that are essential for inducing and directing axonal outgrowth.
There is a continuing need for new and improved scaffolds that will support nerve regeneration, muscle growth, and other in vitro and in vivo tissue applications. The polymers used for such scaffolds must be biocompatible and/or biodegradable, and must have physical properties appropriate to the specific application. For nerve regeneration conduits, or nerve guides, such polymers must have appropriate flexibility to be rolled or cast into microtubes, and must be compatible with in vivo insertion or implantation.